


The Nineteenth Sentinel Tidbits File by Many and Varied

by 852_Prospect_Archivist



Series: The Senad Sentinel Tidbits Files by Many and Varied [19]
Category: The Sentinel
Genre: M/M, Senslash Fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 05:01:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/794212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/852_Prospect_Archivist/pseuds/852_Prospect_Archivist





	The Nineteenth Sentinel Tidbits File by Many and Varied

## The Nineteenth Sentinel Tidbits File

by Many and varied

Author's disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, these tidbits aren't mine.  
Anyone who sues over this stuff, needs their head examined.  


Pairing: J/B -- mostly!  
Rating: The whole range 

* * *

Tidbit #1 

Serious Poker 

"What did he just say?" Simon sputtered in disbelief, letting his cigar roll from left to right across his lower lip. He looked around the table, as if imploring the others to verify his hearing. 

"I said--" Blair paused, smiling as he raked in his chips. "That I was pretty sure Brown was on a _draw_ , so when the river was a _blank_ I felt safe betting bottom pair." He contemplated his pile of chips with serene satisfaction, then looked up wide-eyed, all innocence. "What?" His gaze flew as if on angel's wings around the table. "What? What?" 

"Sneaky little--" 

"You are _busted_ , kid," Rafe said, rather admiringly. 

For all that he was busted, Blair looked smug. He waved a hand. "Eh, well, it couldn't last." 

"Sandbagger Sandburg," Jim said dryly. Despite his resigned tone and display of head-shaking he seemed suspiciously amused. 

"And you didn't even warn us," Simon said, looking at his friend in disgust. 

"Hey, whoa--not my place to pull badge on someone else's angle." 

Simon glared. "Not that the word _collusion_ would pass my lips, _but_ \--" 

Blair looked indignant, though still very bouncy. "Hey, no way. I don't need any help working the angles on _this_ table." 

"What are you sayin', kid--we're suckers?" Joel gave him a faintly petulant look. 

Blair's face settled into slightly more crestfallen lines. "Aw, Joel. You know I wouldn't con you, man. I played on the fair side of the line." 

" _Line_ is just what you played us. Lettin' us think you were just another fish," said Simon, brows lifting. "Then when you had us good and hooked, _bam_ , turned around and reeled the entire boat in." 

"Wow. Good analogy, Simon." Blair perked up again, and his face softened with an almost lover-like tenderness as he contemplated his chips. Then he caught and shook himself out of his reverie. "But you can't blame me for your preconceptions. What made you think I didn't know how to play poker, anyway?" Blair grabbed his beer and took a long pull, the way a man does when he's finished a job well done. 

Jim's flat, bland voice replied. "Maybe it was the way you kept asking whether the ace played high or low--" 

"The way you kept _claiming_ to confuse 'flush' and 'straight'," Rafe added. 

"And how cute you were when you asked what a back door was," Joel added with mild sarcasm. "Man, I can't believe I bought it, Blair. I should've known better." 

Blair blushed slightly. "Preconceptions, what can I say?" 

"That was fronting," said Brown, stressing the last word with pointed accusation. 

"Right. Like you all don't do it." Blair snorted. "Look at Jim." He waved a hand, and Jim blinked as they all turned to look at him assessingly. "The original Mr. Poker Face. Wants everyone to believe he's the strong silent type, the original dumb cop. Just-the-facts-ma'am. 'Could you spell that for me, sir?'" Blair's earnest mimicry earned laughs of recognition. "Never lets on he's ahead of you, lets you think he's got to run to catch up with the clue bus. First six months I knew him, always with the games--and you guys _all_ went along with it. You think I don't remember? Jim, claiming he'd never been inside a lecture hall. Jim, pretending he thought a 'syllabus' was an erotic female demon. The man who once asked me to put 'coprophilia' into words of one syllable." Blair, warming up to his subject, spared Jim a dirty look. "Who let me give him a twenty minute lecture on acculturation and then said 'What was that first part again?'" 

The men's laughter deepened to evil snickers. 

"All that time, he let me think he never stepped foot on a college campus until he met me and then one day lets slip he went to Northwestern." 

"What, you didn't know?" Simon, unlike the others, seemed genuinely amazed. "How did you think he got to be an officer in the Army? Or become a police detective?" 

Jim's lips twitched. "Maybe he thought I slept my way up the ranks." 

"Ellison, every hair on my body just leapt up in horror," Simon said, closing his eyes with dramatic fervor and shuddering. 

"So, okay, I was a bit slow on the uptake," Blair said. "But that's the point--if you've got an image, you work it. It's an edge, man. Misdirection." His busy hands began shuffling the deck of cards that had been laid in front of him. "That first impression is like gold, and once it's gone--" The cards made an elaborate whispering bridge between his hands. "--you can't get it back." He set the cards down in a neat stack, rubbed his hands, cracked his knuckles, and looked around the table. "So. What'll it be, gentlemen. How about a round of Mexican stud with a high-low split, down card wild, and a Black Mariah re-ante?" His blue-eyed gaze slid from face to face, one eyebrow quirked. "Yes? No?" 

The chorus was unanimous: "Sandburg!" 

Blair sighed. "Okay, okay. So you don't want fun. That's okay." He looked up around the table from under sly lids, eyes gleaming, and smiled dangerously. "I can do serious poker, too." 

Anna 

* * *

Tidbit #2 

Re: changing the subject line in a post to suit the topic 

Obsenad 

"What the fuck is this?" 

Blair looked up, then glanced around at the squad room, hoping no one had heard Jim's exclamation. No such luck. Rafe raised his eyebrows at Blair, who shrugged silently. Brown motioned for him to go over to read what Jim was reading. Blair shook his head. Megan gestured more forcefully. Blair sighed, and stood up. 

"Bullshit!" 

Blair sat down. 

Megan stood up. 

Blair jumped up, hopping to Jim's side, waving Megan off. She didn't sit down, but she did stay by her desk. 

"So, um, what's up, Jim?" 

"This garbage is up, and the IQ in this station is definitely DOWN," he said loudly. Rafe and Brown began to snicker, and Megan rolled her eyes. 

"Uh huh," Blair stalled. "So, what's the new reg?," he asked, pointing to the next message, which said, "New Regulations". 

"You want to see what that is?" Jim asked. "You want to see what... Biergarten, H has to say about the new goddam regulations?!" 

Blair took a step back. 

Opening the message, Jim spit out, "Here! Here's what Biergarten, H has to say! I'm gonna go tell him how insightful he is!" And Jim stomped out of the room. 

Megan was there first, with Rafe and Brown right behind her. Fortunately, Blair had the chair. They all crowded around as Blair read aloud: 

"That's great; how about the one where the cop caught the guys who stole the truck of Viagra? By that time, they were hardened criminals!" 

Blair sat back. He almost held it together, until he heard Megan snicker. Then it was all over; the four of them laughed so loudly that they never heard Ellison return.... 

Ann 

* * *

Tidbit #3 

Jim pulled at the bonds that held him, tugging experimentally. 

"Uh uh uh." Blair's voice came from behind him, sending a shiver down his exposed back. He could feel the heat of Blair's body as he moved in closer, hot air whispering over Jim's back as a tongue flicked out to taste the skin below his earlobe. "Just relax and take it, lover. You're going to enjoy this so much." 

Blair drew out the s', his chuckle of delight at Jim's shivering response sending more hot air wafting across his back and Jim shuddered, moaning slightly as he began to beg. 

Still not actually touching his body, Blair began to gently blow air along his back. He spoke constantly, whispering hotly descriptions of how he planned to pleasure his lover. The words traveled on Blair's breath, caressing Jim with an ethereal touch, until he was writhing and whimpering, begging Blair to stop teasing and start fucking. 

He began to thrust his hips blindly in the air, cock aching desperately for touch, for something, anything, to rub against. Blair pursed his lips and blew a stream of air into the cleft between Jim's ass cheeks, directing the stream against the small puckered entrance to his body. 

Jim arched violently, scream tearing itself from his chest as hot liquid streamed from his cock, pulling sanity and ecstasy with it. He lay limply against his bonds, shivering with shooting aftershocks of pleasure as Blair finally touched him, soothing his skin with gentle hands. 

Pumpkin 

* * *

Tidbit #4 

OBSENAD (warning: contains major Lonesome Dove spoiler) 

"Oh, man. Oh, man!" Blair had managed to hold it together until the fade out to commercial, but now he was full-out blubbering. 

"Jim," Blair sniffed, swiping at his face and struggling to control the flow of tears, "thank you for making me watch this, man. It is one of the most intense things I've ever seen." 

"I didn't make you watch this, Chief. It's one of _my_ favorite mini-series, and I never miss it when it comes on. I can't help it if you were sucked in. If I remember correctly, you were casting aspersions on television's ability to accurately portray life as it really existed in the Old West and refusing to watch it," Jim snorted at his friend, handing him a tissue. 

"Yeah, and I still hold to that point. I mean, the inaccuracies of the depictions in some areas are bordering on the horrendous, but all the historical flaws can be glossed over because, man, this is an EPIC, a Saga in the classic sense of the word. And the love story, man! It's the backbone of the whole story!" Blair bounced a little on the edge of the sofa, threatening to dump the bowl of popcorn onto the floor. 

"Which love story?" Jim snagged the bowl and set it securely on his lap. "The one with Woodrow, and his dead Maggie the Whore, or the one with Gus and Clara, or the one..." 

"No, I mean _the_ love story. Woodrow and Gus, Jim!" Blair sniffed and swabbed at his eyes as they tried to fill again. 

"Hold on a sec, there Chief." Jim scowled at his partner. "You're not going to tell me that Woodrow and Gus were...involved." 

"Jim!" Blair stared in openmouthed shock at his friend. "Man, were we watching the same show? Those two loved each other better and longer than anyone else in their whole lives. They were together, inseparable, since practically the first day they met! Nothing, no one _ever_ came between them, man." Blair paused to draw breath, and Jim cut him off quickly. 

"You're nuts, Sandburg," Jim growled. "They were just good friends." 

"HA! Jim didn't you _hear_ that agonized "Agustus" from Woodrow when Gus was finally gone. Oh, wow, that was so...intense! It broke my heart just hearing it." 

Jim stared in amazement as his friend broke into a fresh bout of sniffling. He realized that Gus and Woodrow were as close as two men could get, but damn it all that only meant that they were close! All that other stuff Sandburg was spewing was just plain silly. 

"Come on now, Blair..." Jim broke off as Blair, shook his head violently. 

"It was tragic, and perfect, and I hope that I find someone to love me like that before I die," Blair said into his tissues. 

Blair looked down as something lit, softly as down, on his bent knee. He was surprised to see it was Jim's fingertips, moving away as swiftly as they'd arrived. As he looked up into the eyes of his best friend, a slow smile spread across his face. He watched with secret delight at the faint crimson flush spreading upward from Jim's throat. He settled back, getting comfortable again as the last of the marathon commercial break faded out, knowing what his stoic friend was trying to tell him without words. 

Jim held still while his partner settled himself, his throat closing on things he couldn't say. Things that had startled him by their very presence. He needed to think about this. Later. They had time. In the meantime, he thought it best not to mention to Blair that just to honor a promise made, Woodrow was about to transport the body of his beloved friend through trials and tribulations that would make any Hero proud. 

He did, however, plan to have the box of tissues ready. 

As the show resumed with Woodrow making arrangement for the body of his best friend, Jim tried not to see the similarities between that gruff, intractable man and his rascally, free-spirited best friend and himself and the man tucked so comfortably at his side. He sighed heavily as the comparisons only grew in number. 

Leave it to Blair to ruin a perfectly good Western. 

Mick C. 

* * *

Tidbit #5 

Blair stared at the large stone building with the flowers by the entry and the front door invitingly open to the summer breeze. The sound of children's laughter floated from inside. 

Blair shivered slightly. He contained it so well, that only Sentinel eyes could see the tremor. Jim reached out and placed a large calloused hand comfortingly on his partner's shoulder. 

Blue eyes filled with pain looked up into blue eyes full of loving compassion. "Bill says she lost almost all her hair after the last round of therapy. She refuses to come out of her room now." Unconsciously Sandburg gave a guilty tug at his own luxuriant curls. "She's 12 years old, and she's got cancer, and now she's lost all her hair... It sucks, man!" 

"No, it's not fair," Jim agreed. He slid his arm down to his lover's waist and gave him a comforting hug. "But you survived cancer and lost all your hair too when you were even younger than Belinda... and look how much of it came back!" he teased, reaching up to wrap a silky lock around a finger. 

The younger man smiled. His lips were still stiff with tension, but somewhere inside Jim could see that he'd started to accept and relax. 

"Yeah," he agreed. "And I still remember the volunteer who talked me through my funk after I went bald at age 10. Thank God for Ronald McDonald Houses and the wonderful people who work with them." 

Blair squared his shoulders and started up the steps pulling Jim along with him. "Come on, man. Let's go help a little girl get her life back online." 

Kay Lynne 

* * *

Tidbit #6 

"What's this show, Guppy?" 

"Prey, and I like Chief better." Blair patted the seat cushion as a signal to Jim he should come sit down. Jim sighed, grabbed the popcorn bowl, seasoned just the way he liked it, with butter and salt everywhere. 

Blair made a face when he bit into the popcorn he'd scooped out of the bowl. "Ick! Salty! Tell me, does your doctor complain about high blood pressure?" 

"What doctor? He knows I'm former Black Ops...Chief. Tell me about this show?" Jim chomped down on a nice little pile of popcorn. "Oh, this woman discovered a new species--they're 1.6 degrees divided from us. They've got a impulse to kill us--sorta like you and TSNTBSO." 

"TSNTBSO?" 

"The Sentinel never to be spoken of." Jim considered this, then decided not to pursue this. Acroymns were not good things... "Really. And who's this floppy hair guy? Looks a little like you." 

"Oh, that's Ed." 

"And what's that doctor doing?" 

"Abducting him." 

"Are you sure? He looks like he's going to pass out any minute without help from that little needle." 

"Little! That's at least four inches long.." Blair's face scrunched up in attempted recall of the length, then gave up. "Anyway...look at that. Look! Copeland...he looks exactly like my philosophy professor." 

"Philosophy professor? I thought that professor was a woman." 

"Yeah....she always had that look on her face whenever she saw her husband. A mix of desire and necessity." 

LS 

* * *

Tidbit #7 

OBSenad: 

_cough_ _cough_ _cough_ "oh, god" _cough_... _cough_ _cough_

"He's breathing, Sandburg, Sandburg," Jim was kneeling at Blair's side now that Simon and Brown had let go of him. "Man, you had me scared there, little buddy." 

"Jim, what... what..." Blair began. 

"It's okay, it's okay. Just take some deep breaths." 

"I'm cold," Blair said. The EMT's were laying wool blankets around Blair's body now, getting him onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. 

"What happened?" Blair asked again as Jim settled beside him in the ambulance. 

"I don't know," Jim started. "We pulled you out of that fountain, you weren't breathing, Simon and I were giving you CPR and I gave you mouth to mouth..." 

"Mouth to mouth?" Blair asked. "Did you have garlic for breakfast?" 

"Dinner," Jim said. 

"Oh." 

"Are you complaining?" Jim asked. 

"Well, you could have brushed your teeth first. I heard that Mulder used mouthwash before doing it to Scully." 

"You're kidding me, right?" Jim asked. "You're lucky to be alive. Do you know all the aggravation that's been going on since we left you on that cold concrete, damp and not breathing?" 

"Uh,.. nope." 

"I didn't think so. Just lay there and be quiet for a while. They haven't written this part of the two parter yet, and you're complaining about my garlic breath." Jim just shook his head, still holding Blair's hand. He pushed Blair's damp hair back away from his high forehead. Watching the closed eyes, knowing Blair was breathing now. "How'd you know about Scully and Mulder anyway?" 

Blair's eyes opened and he smiled at Jim, knowing the older man was tense from the ordeal. 

"While I was floating around in the ozone, I decided to catch a movie," Blair said. 

"Oh, was it good?" Jim asked. 

"Yeah, it was really cool. Especially that scene in Antarctica. I really felt like I was there, man." 

"Are you warm enough now," Jim asked remembering Blair had complained about being cold. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay." 

"You're not okay till I say so. Not till your home safe in bed with me tonight." 

"You think they'll let me go home tonight?" Blair asked hopefully. 

Jim just smiled sweetly. 

"Whenever I get home, that's when I'll be okay," Blair said, understanding. 

Jim watched Blair as his eyes closed, the ambulance taking them to the emergency room of Cascade General. Jim closed his eyes too for a moment, listening to Blair's regular breathing, the sound accentuated by the tempo of Blair's audible heartbeat. 

Moz 

* * *

Tidbit #8 

"Oh, damn." 

Jim looked at Blair hunched over the laptop, wondering what was wrong. Opening his hearing a little more, he determined that whatever it was wasn't vital, but did have his friend slightly off. 

"Why can't I remember what I have deleted?" Blair scrolled through the e-mail list one more time. 

"What's the matter?" 

Blair turned back to find Jim right behind him. "Oh, nothing. Just a friend over at school was talking about some funny things that happen with an application and I remembered seeing something on my list, and it turned out we had gotten different examples. But now I realize I deleted them all, so I can't e-mail them over." 

Jim smiled with a slight upturn of lips. "Then why don't you just ask for them?" 

"I can't remember who posted them." 

"I mean the list." 

"Jim, that would be OT." 

Jim looked over to figure out which list Blair was on. His eyes got wide. "What... what would make it topically appropriate?" 

Cynara 

* * *

Tidbit #9 

"C'mon, Chief, we've been here almost an hour. You can't tell me there are that many anthropology magazines here." 

"Well, actually, Jim, there are anthropological angles to almost any story you can name. The human pattern of interaction and culture is universal. But no, I'm looking for George Clooney." 

"Again? Oh, Chief, come on." 

"Really! Apparently he wrote a column for a magazine, about journalism and where it draws the line between news and entertainment. Anyways, I couldn't understand the name of the magazine, so I'm checking for it." 

"I think this Clooney obsession has gone a little too far." 

"Oh, love, don't be jealous. It's not for me, remember? It's for my pen pal." 

"All I know is that it's taking time away from our night on the couch." 

"Uh oh, someone's pouting.... Okay, we'll forget the magazine. I'll check online for it. I wanna wrap you up in a blanket and cuddle you till your swollen lower lip goes down." 

"Finally. And just so you know, I am  not pouting." <pause> "I just don't see what's so great about this guy. He's just some actor." 

"I know, dear, I know." 

Ann 

* * *

Tidbit #10 

Jim chucked Blair his jacket as he stood at the door to the loft. The smaller man had just come out of the bathroom and caught the flying coat out of shear instinct before it could hit him in the face. 

"Come on, Sandburg, shake a leg." 

"What's going on Jim? You get a call from Simon? Is it a bank heist? Hostage situation?" Blair fired off questions like Alex Trebek on speed. He quickly slipped on some sneakers and shrugged into his coat, somewhat alarmed at his Sentinel's tense posture. 

"Worse, Chief." 

"Don't tell me another shipment of Golden has come into the city..." Blair paled as he dutifully followed Jim, heading for the parking lot. 

"Well, no...." Jim had the grace to look somewhat sheepish. "I ordered Chinese take out, and they just called. Their driver broke down and they can't deliver tonight." 

Blair skidded to a stop, which was just as well as Jim had halted in his tracks. "What?? You mean all this because your dinner can't make it to your door? Jeez, you had me worried. Jim?" As they stood in the lot, Blair shook the arm of his friend, wondering if he was zoning. But Jim's head was still moving, blinking and whipping back and forth. 

"Blair....do you see what I see?" 

"Jim, do I _ever_ see what you see? Come on man, you're the one with the Sentinel sight." 

"Look at those trucks over there Chief. Aren't they like the ones I used to drive?" 

Blair looked at the assortment of vehicles. "Hmmm. You're right. But then again, you've been through a _lot_ of trucks Jim..." The bigger man stalked closer and began scanning the interiors, his heart rate zooming. 

"I don't think so Chief. I remember this one, the dash had that mark right here. This one had that tear in the roof from when we......And this one..... _we_ made that stain on that seat!" 

Blair held his breath as he peered into the cab. "Oh my God...you're right! Oh man, this is so freaky. It's like they've come back to haunt you. HEY! That one is _moving_!" 

_Jim....you owe us....we served you well...now...it's time to pay....._

Jim grabbed onto his Guide and pulled him against his body as they were quickly surrounded by angrily revving vehicles. The trucks had them in a circle, and were closing in, ready to squeeze the life out of them. In the final seconds, Blair looked at Jim with farewell in his eyes as Jim covered Blair's mouth in a final kiss.... 

"AHHHH!!!" Jim nearly flew off the bed, managing to both dislodge and annoy his lover, who sighed in exasperation. 

"For Pete's sake Jim...." Blair practically threw Jim back down onto the pillow and grumpily nuzzled back into his neck. 

"Oh damn, Chief. That one was worse than the last three. We were going to go somewhere.... and all my old trucks were in the lot....and then they came after us....and.." 

Blair never opened his eyes, but ran his hands over Jim's chest in a soothing manner, feeling Jim's heart pounding. "Jim, you know I love you, right?" 

"Yes." 

"Good. Then you'll know next time, that it is because I love you that I will beat you senseless for suggesting Chinese food at midnight while watching "My Mother the Car." 

Wolfine 

* * *

Tidbit #11 

Standard Disclaimers apply. 

Untitled snippet  
by R'rain 

Jim uncomfortably straightened his shirt, leaning against the wall and listening to the loud music on the other side of the double doors. "Jim, you all right?" Suddenly Simon was at his elbow, his voice a mix of concern and impatience. 

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered. "It's just the noise." 

"Well, where's Sandburg?" Simon looked from side to side trying to spot Jim's partner. 

"No, don't bother Blair, he's having a good time." Jim peered through the doors and spotted him, still on the dance floor. The evening had started out a sedate affair, tasteful music and mingling couples socializing at the Policemen's Ball. But the alcohol flowed rather freely and the music gradually got louder and now it resembled a wedding social, or a high school prom. 

"Dancing up a storm, isn't he," commented Simon. 

"It's his kind of thing," said Jim a little ruefully. 

"Well, you take care of yourself," said Simon. "Brown and Taggert and I are stepping outside for a nice cigar. "Jim just nodded, his eyes still glued to the dance floor, and Simon took his leave. 

The lights were almost as bad as the music, but Jim braved them until finally the music slowed and Blair came back out. "Jim! How come you aren't dancing? I need some air, come on." He left through a door just a little way up the hall and Jim followed. 

Stopping in the doorway, Jim looked at him. A sheen of sweat caused tendrils of hair to adhere to his neck and cheeks and his face was flushed. The moon hit him just right, so that his eyes shone and the hairs peeking out of his unbuttoned shirt glinted a golden brown. And then he smiled. "Jim?" 

"My God, you're beautiful," he blurted out. Blair's eyes widened and he was speechless. Jim's hand began to reach out to touch that lush brown hair but he stopped it halfway and it dropped back down to his side. "I'm sorry..." 

Blair still didn't know what to say, didn't know whether he was reading Jim right, didn't know if there _was_ any other way to read that. Both men were unaware of the three pairs of eyes on them from not so far away. 

"It's okay, you know," said Blair carefully, "if you wanted to." Jim didn't have to think about it. He reached a hand out and lay it on Blair's curls, then used that hand to pull him forward and plant a soft kiss on his lips. 

* * *

End Sentinel Tidbits file #19.

 


End file.
